1943 National Committee for the Restoration of Greece Broadside Map of Greece

This is a 1943 John M. Kokkins and The National Committee for the Restoration of Greece broadside propaganda map calling for the liberation and restoration of this great nation. The broadside consists of seven different maps that capture different eras in Greece's long history.

The map at the top of the broadside illustrates Greece in Antiquity and highlights both the Second Persian War and Alexander's conquests. In the top row, maps depicting Greece in the 6th and 9th centuries are included, which encapsulates most of the Byzantine era. The second row illustrates Greece during the Middle Ages, when it was divided into several different Kingdoms. The maps in the third and final row, however, are the ones that the National Committee for the Restoration of Greece wants to emphasize. The one on the right depicts Greece just after it gained independence from the Ottoman Empire on March 25, 1921 and the second illustrates Greece just after it was invaded by Fascist Italy on October 28, 1940.

Why We Feel This Broadside is Significant

This broadside was produced and printed by an organization called the National Committee for the Restoration of Greece which operated out of an office in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Little is known about this organization, although we have been able to piece together some of its history. This organization existed solely to bring awareness to events happening in Greece during World War II and to create a desire on the part of the Allied nations to help Greeks fight the Axis powers in their country. Evidently, this broadside was produced by this committee and, at the very least, sent to its supporters. Organizations like the National Committee for the Restoration of Greece were not uncommon during World War II. Even national governments, like those of Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Luxembourg, and Poland, among others, all operated as governments in exile either from London or New York. This committee apparently tried to operate in much the same fashion: not as a government, but as an organization that could motivate the Greek population of New York City and the United States as a whole to fight the invaders throughout Europe either financially or by joining the U.S. armed forces.

Publication History and Census

This broadside was drawn by John M. Kokkins and published by the National Committee for the Restoration of Greece in 1943. This is the only known surviving example.